ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

I find this conversation interesting and I hope it continues. Reading  
the messages all in one sitting, some things strike me.

1. I am not sure we are all using the word or concept "certification"  
in the same way. Beryl originally meant it (and please correct me if  
I am wrong) it to mean an academic award received after completing a  
series of courses or demonstrating proficiency in an area. Many  
universities have a museum studies certificate program. You major in  
an a traditional area such as history, biology, art etc and you take  
additional coursework to get a museum certificate. It is an addition  
or a focussing of the graduate degree, but there is no MA program in  
Museum Studies as a stand alone subject area. To answer Charlie's  
questions about what is provided, typically certification programs  
provide skills or practical experience to augment a more academic  
program of study for fields that need both. You do all the work for  
the traditional degree, but then get skills in museum studies,  
archival work, accounting, etc etc.

  This is completely different than what they do across that street  
at the School of Education when they talk of certification. When one  
receives a teacher certification, this is, for all intents and  
purposes a license to teach. This is typically awarded by the state  
here in America, not the university. (although there are various  
agreements in various states where getting one almost automatically  
gets you the other, minus any qualifying exams, background checks etc.)

I support Beryl's use of the concept of certificate (assuming I am  
right) but am totally against museums or science centers being  
required to certify their staff through some sort of licensing  
bureaucracy.

2. I think it is curious that what started as a question about  
baseline skills and knowledge for an informal educator became a  
discussion of what makes a good classroom teacher. While there are  
similarities and many people go from one to the other, they are  
ultimately different careers. I find the confusing of the two more  
prevalent in science than in other subjects.  Most people I know in  
the history museum field see themselves as distinctly museum  
educators and very few people move between the two. Why this is would  
be another excellent discussion, but you don't see it in other fields.

Have a good day,

Matt



On Oct 15, 2007, at 8:51 PM, David Smith wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> ********************************************************************** 
> *******
>
> On 10/15/07, Reagan Cole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
>> Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>> institutions.
>>
>> ********************************************************************* 
>> ********
>>
>> In education, classroom discipline is the most important thing  
>> next to a
>> thorough understanding of child psychology.
>> The books contain more science, math and history than anyone would  
>> ever
>> need in the real world.  If you can stay a page or two ahead  
>> you'll know
>> exactly as much as you need and no more.  It is very important not  
>> to know
>> too much or give the appearance knowing too much.  Scientists are  
>> not very
>> good classroom teachers most of the time.
>>
>
>
> While a chaotic classroom certainly impedes learning, a well- 
> disciplined one
> does not guarantee it.  I have seen repeated instances of highly- 
> disciplined
> orderly schools where there was very little learning going on.   
> Effective
> classroom management (which is different from discipline) often comes
> hand-in-hand with effective teaching strategies - students who are  
> engaged
> and excited are less likely to act out.
>
> Teachers of any subject need three critical pieces: they need a  
> thorough
> knowledge of the cognitive and intellectual structure of their  
> discipline -
> the big ideas, the overarching concepts, and the connections to other
> disciplines - and of interventions that will effectively advance  
> student
> understanding of those structures, they need effective formative  
> assessment
> strategies to be able to diagnose the knowledge of each student in  
> their
> class, and they need time to work together as professionals to share
> effective strategies and collaborate to solve instructional  
> dilemmas.  None
> of that comes from a textbook.  What I find in textbooks are errors,
> oversimplifications, and stultifying problem sets.  It doesn't  
> matter if you
> are two pages ahead or a hundred pages ahead if the pages are  
> devoid of
> meaning or connection.
>
> "Teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their
> students"  That's Teaching Standard A from the National Science  
> Education
> Standards.  It was best practice 10 years ago and there is only more
> evidence of its effectiveness as time goes by.  Begin with a  
> question and
> draw learning out of evidence.  In order to do that, you'll need to  
> stop
> speaking what's in the book and start listening to what's in your  
> students.
> This is true whether you are in a formal or informal setting (I  
> don't think
> there's any real distinction - good teaching is good teaching,  
> including
> displaying sensitivity to context).
>
> Dave Smith
>
>
> -- 
> David L. Smith
> Da Vinci Science Center
> Allentown, PA
> http://www.davinci-center.org
>
> ********************************************************************** 
> *
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>
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